Ellis Jenkins will co-captain Wales on tour this summer, along with Cory Hill. So how does that work, exactly? The Cardiff Blues flanker tells Dai Sport how he intends to share the role as well as the referee charm lessons he has learned from Sam Warburton.
How long did you celebrate for after the Cardiff Blues’ European Challenge Cup win in Bilbao?
We had a big couple of days celebrating and then a few days off to relax and then re-focus. We came back into the Welsh camp last week to do some strength and conditioning work and then began the ruby stuff, albeit without the Scarlets boys, on Tuesday.
The season finished in the best possible way for us. It couldn’t have been much better for us. It is nice when you are winning. We need to get into the winning mindset on the tour.
Is this tour about making an impression for next year’s World Cup?
Lots of Lions players have been left out of this tour to get in a full pre-season and that has given a lot of other players the chance to step into their roles and press for World Cup selection. It is three games and three chances to show you can play and compete at this level.
Warren told us this week that there are a lot of players who are in a really good position for next year’s tournament given their qualities and their form over the past three years. But as we saw with the last World Cup, things can change right up to the last minute with players going down. We lost players in the warm-up matches and even in the first few games in the World Cup.
It is all about getting your name in the frame and then working your way up the pecking order as much as you can to be ready for anything that happens. You always have to prove yourself.
Just being in the environment is nice, and once you’ve had a taste you want it to be a regular thing. Once it is a regular thing, you want to be one of the stand-out players. I don’t think you can ever be satisfied about where you are. You have to try to improve your standards as a player and your standing within the squad.
You tore the hamstring muscle off the bone at the start of last season. How far did that set you back?
It was a really disappointing injury for me because at the end of last season I thought I had put myself in a good position.
I had toured well with Wales, made a good impression and I was happy with the way I played. At the end of pre-season I was probably in the best shape I had ever been in – stronger, fitter and faster than ever – and so to have an injury like that in the first game was difficult.
I knew I was going to miss the first four months of the season, maybe even five or six, but it is part and parcel of rugby. There aren’t many players who go through their career without a serious injury.
But once the autumn internationals came along I was just happy for Josh Navidi. I’ve played with him for years and he has been brilliant for the Blues.
He is a good friend of mine and to see him play so well for Wales was nice. Obviously, I would have preferred it to have been me, but it was still nice to watch him play so well. It just amplifies the point that it can only take one, two or three games to really push yourself up the pecking order.
How do you view competition for places in the Wales back row?
In the autumn there were a lot of openside forwards injured, but Josh Novaidi got his chance and became the stand-out player. That’s what it’s all about – grabbing your opportunities when they come along. The strength in depth in the back row is a good thing for Welsh rugby.
Do you think being Wales U20 captain made you a natural captaincy choice?
It will be a big honour captaining Wales. You get given these positions based on what you have done in the past, so it won’t be a question of trying to change anything. It is about earning the respect of the rest of the squad, leading by example and making good decisions.
Sam Warburton and Alun Wyn Jones have always led from the front, although Alun Wyn is probably a bit more vocal. Cory Hill is in the same mould. He goes about his business, gets on with things and leads by example.
You have to have a bit of dialogue with the referee to try to get him on your side. Sam is very good at that. Just look at the Lions tour last year where he probably saved the last game.
It is about having a mutual respect with the referee. He is a normal bloke, at the end of the day, and so if you show him respect you will get some back. Some referees are more approachable than others, so it is a question of gauging that and trying to get him around to what you are trying to do.
Cory and I get on well and we both have the same approach to captaincy. We have now each other years, so we’re not afraid to offend each other. If we disagree on anything, we can talk things out. We just want to lead by example.
I’ve spoken to Alun Wyn and to Gethin Jenkins about the captaincy role. They said that nothing really needed to change. You just have to take your standards up a little bit, although they should be set high anyway.
We have a new group of players and so you earn respect through your performances. Lead from the front and say things when they need to be said. There are plenty of other leaders in the squad.
Who has influenced your leadership and playing qualities?
In 2012, Cory was a good captain with Wales Under 20. Gethin Jenkins has had the biggest influence on me, playing wise. From a leadership point of view he is another one who leads by example. He doesn’t always say much, but he is always the best player in training and in games. If he tells you, you have done something wrong, you know you’ve done something wrong. My main focus is making sure I’m playing well. It is tough to tell anyone they are doing something wrong if your performances aren’t outstanding.
In most teams, you play your best rugby when your better players are playing at their best and dragging their team-mates up to their levels. It is tough to be vocal if your performances are sub-standard.
How did you hear about the captaincy selection?
I was having breakfast with a couple of the Blues boys. The team got announced on Twitter and one of them told me I was a co-captain. I thought he was joking. I knew I was in the squad, but I found out about the captaincy from Twitter. When we came into camp Cory and I had a chat with Warren.
I think my Mum and Dad knew about it before me. Dad got a bit emotional about it. They’ll be coming out to watch.
What are your thoughts about playing South Africa in Washington?
It will be different. The game is emerging in the US. We have Blaine Scully, the USA captain at the Blues, and Cam Dolan was with us before him. I know some of the American players and they are excited about the game.
It will be interesting to see what South African team faces us, but we know they will be big, physical and impressive. It is about making sure we are as well prepared as possible.
With a new coach we don’t really know what will be coming at us. Most South African sides tend to be big, physical and proud, so we will have to front up.
What about Argentina?
With Wales U20, we played Argentina two years in a row. In 2012 we played them in the third-fourth play-off and we played them in France a year later in our last group game, which was the equivalent to a quarter-final. There are a lot of them in the Pumas squad now.
Argentina are always tough and it is a long time since we won on tour down there. They have stepped up the world rankings and it is going to be tough playing them in their own back yard. The majority of their players have been playing together for a while. That’s why we have to make the most of every session we have to ensure we are well prepared.
How do you find the Blues’ artificial surface?
There are times when you do get grazes when it is dry, but you get that off grass pitches as well. It depends on the weather and how the pitch is looked after.
It is painful and you wake up stuck to the sheets. That said, some of the worst abrasions I’ve had have been from summer sevens tournaments.